Combination packet and display rack for articles mounted on cards



Sept. 7, 1954 H. D. BALDRIDGE COMBINATION P ACKET AND DISPLAY RACK FOR ARTICLES MOUNTED ON CARDS Filed April 2, 1952 Patented Sept. 7, 1954 COMBINATION PACKET AND DISPLAY RACK FOR ARTICLES MOUNTED N CARDS Harold D. Baldridge, Leominster, Mass., assignor to Diadem, Inc., Leominster, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 2, 1952, Serial No. 280,098

1 Claim. 1

In merchandising articles such, for example, as combs, buttons, costume jewelry, items to be applied to wearing apparel, small articles of hardware, etc., it is the usual practice to mount them on a card or holder, usually a relatively fiat piece of fibre board which may carry instructions, advertising matter, etc. The packaging of such articles for shipment not only presents a difficulty due to the ease with which the articles may be separated from the holder, but furthermore when displayed for sale they are subject to considerable handling which tends to separate the article from the holder. It is therefore often necessaryv to reattach the articles if the holder has not been destroyed or too badly injured.

The principal object of thepresent invention is to provide a combination packet and display rack which serves not only to hold the articles securely packed and ready for shipment or storage, but also which may be quickly erected to provide a display rack eliminating or minimizing the danger of separation of the articles from the cards.

Further objects will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a composite isometric view showing the parts constituting the combination packet and display rack;

Fig. 2 is an isometric view illustrating the manner in which the parts are used to form a packet for several stacks of combs mounted on cards; and

Fig. 3 is a side elevation illustrating the manner in which the parts may be erected to provide a display rack.

In accordance with the present invention I provide a combination packet and display rack which comprises a supporting member defining a relatively flat area adapted to receive one or more stacks of articles mounted on cards or the like fibre sheets provided with aligned openings. The supporting member is formed with one or more upstanding posts, depending upon the number of stacks of cards for which it is designed, each post preferably bein of rectangular crosssection so as to project through the aligned openings in a stack not only to hold the cards in superposed position, but also to resist rotation of the cards about the post, thereby to insure proper alignment. In addition, the supporting member is formed with one or more legs that project outwardly at an angle to the post. A base member is provided with one or more recesses, slots or openings spaced and shaped so as to receive and 2 frictionall grip the projecting or free ends of the posts when superposed on the outermost cards of the stacks thereby holding the stacks against the supporting member to form a packet which may be handled as a unit without danger of accidentally separating the articles from the cards. The base member is also formed with spaced openings to receive th ends of the legs of the supporting member when mounted in an upright position to provide a display rack, and to this end the base member may be released from the posts, placed on a counter, and the supporting member, together with the cards carried thereby,

may be easily mounted on the base member.

Both the supporting and basemembers may be made of any suitable material such as wood, plastic, composition or metal, and when assembled so as to provide a packet for one or more stacks of cards, the composite unit may be inserted into a conventional carton or box for shipment or storage.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate what is now considered the preferred embodiment of the invention designed to hold and display several stacks of articles, here shown as hair retainers, mounted on cards C formed with aligned openings 0, the supporting member comprises a frame-like structure I formed with four upstanding spaced posts 2 of square cross-section and slightly tapered, these posts being adapted to project through and engage the edge of the openings O in the cards C so as to hold them in superposed position and also oppose relative rotation. Spaced from and extending outwardly at a angle relative to the post 2 is a pair of legs 4. The frame member 5 adjoining the legs 4 and also the corresponding frame member 6 are formed with extensions projecting laterally beyond the members I and B so as to provide a better support for the stacks S of cards and, if desired, the member 5 may be formed with spacer lugs Ill to hold the lower cards of the bottom stacks away from the legs 4.

The base member I l consists of a ring like part l2 formed with oppositely disposed tangential members [4 and I5, the corresponding ends of which are formed with slots or recesses l6 and I! spaced and shaped so as to receive and frictionall grip the free ends of two of the posts 2 when superposed on the stacks, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Although the opposite ends of the tangential members It and I5 may be similarly formed it is found that the frictional grip exerted on the posts 2 is alone sufficient to hold the parts together, although such grip may be enhanced 3 by forming the ends of the members l4 and I5 blunt so that they may engage the other two posts. In either case a frictional grip is exerted on the posts which holds the base member firmly against the stacks S, in which position the parts provide a packet or composite unit which may be inserted into a carton or box B as illustrated in Fig. Adjacent to their blunt ends the tangential members are formed with inclined recesses or openings 20 and 2| which receive the free ends of the legs 4 when the supporting member, i in erected position to provide a display rack, as

illustrated in Fig. 3, it being understood that the construction and arrangement of parts is such as to insure a reasonable degree of stability when in erected position.

It will be noted that after the articles have been mounted on the cards C they may be readily stacked on the supporting member I, after which the base member I I may be applied as above explained and the assemblage is then slipped into a container or box B for shipment or storage. When the articles are to be displayed on a counter the packet is removed from the box and the base member H released and placed in a desired location, after which the supporting member together with the articles carried thereby, is then mounted on the base member with the legs 4 disposed in the openings 20 and 2!. When thus displayed the cards are not subject to the excessive handling and injury which otherwise would be the case if loosely placed in a compartment or bin of a counter.

Both the supporting and base members are made of a transparent plastic which not only enhances the appearance of the article, but when constructed in the form herein shown they may be molded by mass production methods which results in a slight increase in cost that is more than offset by avoiding the disadvantages and losses which would otherwise be encountered.

While I have shown and described one desirable embodiment of the invention it is to be understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

An article of manufacture comprising a plurality of stacks of articles mounted on cards provided with aligned openings, a supporting member on which said stacks are disposed, said supporting member having a plurality of upstanding spaced posts projecting through the aligned openings in the stacks of cards to hold them in relatively superposed position and spaced legs projecting outwardly at an angle to said posts, and a base member superposed on said stacks, said base member being formed with a plurality of recesses spaced and shaped so as to receive and frictionally grip the free ends of said posts thereby to clamp the stacks in superposed position against said supporting member to form a packet, said base member having spaced openings to receive the ends of said legs when said supporting member is mounted in an upright position on said base member to provide a display rack.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 612,237 Elsworthy Oct. 11, 1898 748,117 Stowe Dec. 29, 1903 1,527,386 Barnard Feb. 24, 1925 1,785,988 Sutclifie Dec. 23, 1930 2,341,635 Loesch Feb. 15, 1944 2,433,7 8 Eide Dec. 30, 1947 

